Candlelight Service 12/24/19

Or if you can find a seat go ahead and grab one.

That was awesome worship. Hey, thanks for being here tonight guys. I know a lot of the church is traveling and it's just nice to be gathered on, you know to celebrate the birthday of Christ together. So thanks for being here nice having the kids and if they get loud, it's okay. You know, we were singing about a baby. I mean as the kids screaming it's all good. And you know, I thought it was a nice nice addition nice touch to the service. So but so we're not going to be too long tonight, but I do have an encouraging message for us. I hope it's encouraging. It's about Joy if you have a Bible you can find Luke Chapter 2. We are at Calvary Chapel. Normally we would be diving into the word doing a pretty deeper study. But that's Christmas Eve and You know, we're going to get back home. I got about a 20-25 minute message. So and it's all about joy joy, we can find in Jesus and Jesus. I was in Starbucks yesterday and compromising coffee and not going to Buddy Brew at Starbucks for 2 minutes. And you know, I was reading that the reading of above where the creamers that anybody ever read, you know, it's real good material there all the time above the Starbucks cream, but they said the Christmas tradition take a Post-It note right on their your Christmas traditions and I can help a reading it was like, you know several of them mention the word Joy. And I'm thinking you know what I was with their favorite holiday tradition is fun and joyous Christmas caroling something like that, but it made me think I mean how many people really experienced a deep joy that God intends deep within their soul write your year at the end of the year going to the 2020. You know, what is your level of joy and I think it's a good thing to think about. It's a good gauge and your own a walk with the Lord. Would you be in 07 what would your spouse? They your level of Joy? I think that's a better read. Sometimes it we can kind of fake it a little bit. What would you say your joy level of joy is a good question.

This is something that is close to God's heart is joy. What are the things that God I think wants for us is that we experience Joy, right? I mean you guys believe that God wants us to enjoy him to his enjoy his presence. That's one of the things that the angel said at this Christmas Story and noticed in Luke 2 verse 9 looks like it's three of these verses it says in verse 9 an angel of the Lord appeared among them. This is the Shepherds appeared to the Shepherds and the radiance of the Lord's Glory surrounded them and they were terrified.

But the angel reassure them don't be afraid. He said I bring you good news that will bring what great joy to all people the Savior. Yes, the Messiah the Lord has been born today. No joy is one of those Christmas words. I think we throw around way too much. It's on every calendar every coffee mug every book your Christmas card. You read Hallmark in a whatever. It's like one of those things but it's different than happiness because know that happiness I think is definitely tied to circumstances the right, you know happiness typically is our body are mine is happy because we have a certain amount of stuff or something and we're with the right people and we having the right food. We're not sick, you know where it was not that stressed out and then somehow were able to say, okay, this is good. I'm happy today, you know, right but joy is different. Well happiness typically is a temporary feeling Joy also is a feeling but joy is something that is deep within us. It's something that God wants us to be able to stay deep within our soul is well with us right in the Inner Man what the Bible says the innermost man we can call the soul is different than the Mind different than the heart and we all know that place where they can do we can be acting happy. We can feel somewhat happy and still be totally empty in our soul, right? In the same time the converse side of that is that you know, the physical circumstances can be tough. But if you really know Jesus and understand the gospel, then we can have joy even in the trials are even in the tough circumstances. So I pray that God encourages our hearts today just through this text and I just want to break down this dissection these verses here in just a little bit. Let me give me a definition. First of joy. I love this John Piper is kind of a geologist. If you will never heard John Piper uses the term Christian Hedonism really doesn't sounds kind of like I said that she would go together. But he's like this pastor 70-something years old now and you know, he has messaged a lot of times is that we can take pleasure in God do we actually can enjoy our walk with the Lord we can enjoy our life no matter what the circumstances by our relationship and by our walk with God and I love his definition of Joy. I believe it's on the screen. He would say is a good feeling in the soul. Is produced by the Holy Spirit as he causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the word and in the world, so think about that a little a little more joy is a feeling so it is a feeling just maybe not up here maybe not something we would experience from a drink or food or even love from someone. We know it's deeper than that George the feeling produced by the holy spirit is not produced by anything else in the world. Is produced by God himself the Holy Spirit as he causes us to see and understand and believe in Jesus. Amen. So let's do this. Let me break down the three little verses in the seven little phrases and I pray that we walk out of here with hopefully a little more joy at least enjoying Christmas and being closer to Jesus. Amen. Got a little clap back there and then

And I say that and I've been honestly, I've been like usual God works on my heart. I'm not standing here in front of you as like I've been on a 10 out of 10 on Joy. You know what I mean? This is for me just as much as this for you. I'm a grill of growing in the Lord. What's that verse again? Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared among them in the radiance of the Lord's Glory surrounded them and freeze. Number one. They were terrified terrified. They were terrified rightly. So when you think about this they were terrified. I personally don't just think that they were scared that of Heart Like physical harm that mean that it says the radiance of the Lord Glory was around them. These were the Shepherds these were the outcast. These were sinful men. These are the guys who could never make it to the temple to worship that would have been the sort of excommunicated in a sense. They were the ones that were The Outsiders If you're this Angel shows up to them. And they were absolutely terrified and I honestly don't think that it was because they were afraid of dying at the Sara Lee it was because they felt so guilty in the presence of God. I mean when you get a glimpse or a taste of the glory of God and if you don't know Jesus and you've never been forgiven of your sins, and you haven't received the gospel like these Shepherds, they were guilty guilty because of their said they were terrified of God and rightly so we should all be terrified of God in a sense because God holds the keys to both Heaven and Hell right today. I think we're terrified in many different ways. But primarily because they were so guilty of their sent in the presence of the Lord's Glory. It's safe to say that we two would be terrified terrified of God. If we tasted of his glory in that same kind of way, you know, it reminds me of Isaiah. Isaiah with a guy in the Old Testament you can read about I won't pull up a pull it up right now Isaiah chapter 6 it was sort of this time in his life where God was calling Isaiah and and the he had this vision of having the the robe of God filled the temple right in and he's just completely undone and says load of me. I'm a sinful man because he's just undone the guilt. He's like, I'm a man of unclean lips with what he says. And then the Angel takes a cold is just a symbol of the atonement it touches his lips and cleanses him of his that point once he's cleansed of his sin. Then he says Here I Am Lord send me all we can do is surrender to the plan of God and that's what he does. He was terrified the same way. I think the Shepherds were terrified. I noticed the next phrase they were terrified but the angel said to them the angel reassured them phrase number two, Don't Be Afraid don't be afraid. these angels

I mean it's kind of ironic. This is like these Immortal beings. I mean going to funny that they could say don't be afraid. You know, it's like I mean, you can only a fathom how frightening it would be standing in front of these angels, but here they are saying this and even though it's somewhat maybe, I think the reason why is because of the message that they're about to leave to deliver you with me on that. They say don't be afraid the next thing they're going to say is because I bring you good news. They don't. I'm just saying don't be afraid. I'm not here to harm you. You're about to say don't be afraid because a savior has come to forgive you of your sins to make a way that you can be saved. That's the only way these Shepherds of all people escape the fear that they would have the angel understood that the message that they were bringing is one that's going to deliver them and provide answers for their greatest fears. And God is sending Jesus as an act of love and that perfect love drives out fear and I think the Angels knew that so this message that the angel is bringing is one of relief. One of forgiveness is one of atonement and it's one that can cast out fear. So that verse again it says the angel said don't be afraid. I bring you good news. Third phrase I bring you the good news. I bring it. I think it's we're slowing down that for a second. You know, it wasn't the Angels idea. Right? This is something that an angel is just simply a servant you realize that about angels angels. It's not like this is something that the angel fought up that he is going to do this thing or angels have been around for thousands of years. And there were these Servants of God to both deliver messages that we see him in the Old Testament deliver messages. They serve the profits. They serve God's people they serve the church. They serve God through his Messengers and they're also angels are ministering servants that serve us the same. So hear the angel is simply bringing a message from God to us right to the Shepherds is pretty fascinating thought to me that you know God sending Jesus was if necessary act and its God himself taking action for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son. He said I'm going to send the angel Gabriel this message cuz here's what I'm doing. I have sent Jesus to come to die for the world. So the Angels just show up to bring the message. God loved us enough right to send Jesus to send the angel with the message. God knew what we were guilty. He knew that the Shepherds were guilty and outside the presence of God. He knew that we were spiritually dead that there was no life in us. He saw us drowning in our sin and he sends us we were totally since Jesus. We were totally helpless and he sends the angel to bring the news, but it's God doing the work. Worst phrase Dairy says I bring you good news. Good news. This is the gospel write the angel brought the gospel message the lowly Shepherds. That's good for you and me that's good for us. This is something that the Angels were excited. I've always been fascinated by a by Angels a little bit, you know, the 1st Peter says this that you know, the Angels long to look into these things is 1st Peter 1 12. It says the good news has been announced by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit Sent From Heaven. It is all still wonderful that even angels eagerly watch are watching these things happen. You know these angels show up excited to bring this message. The good news the gospel. They come to the Shepherds have some good news for you for the whole world. You don't have no longer have to be outside of the presence of God and this news is like a light, you know, the beacon of light in the storm, right? The good news, you and I are drowning the light to the world or trapped in a world of death and darkness and Jesus came to bring life. and lights But he says next phrase here. I bring you good news number 5 that will what bring great joy bring great. Joy and when Jesus came He came for a reason. Different reasons. Just to bring joy game 1 to bring Salvation because when Jesus came he brought a message of love he brings peace. Jesus brings peace between us and God one of the things that he brings though is great joy be fascinating to think 6 phrase to all people I bring you great joy to all people know if you were here. The gospel is for you write the Gospel is for anyone God so loved the world that whosoever believes in him shall not perish. No doesn't matter whether your social outcast like the shepherd's doesn't matter if we're the elite of society is the presents the holy presence of God. There's no difference. We all fall short. We all fall short doesn't matter what kind of life we live. We're all guilty. All everyone of us If we're honest before God we know That we are sinful people all need to be forgiven. Then we come to the final phrase. I love this a savior has been born a savior has been born. And without a savior, we're all guilty right? We're all ashamed. We're all filled with shame. We're all condemned. Right? We're all hopeless filled with shame you and I needed salvation Salvation from what think about this for a second. We need salvation from what would you say? Send at actually not the full answer. We need salvation from the righteous Judgment of God the holy God. you know, there is a apart from Jesus there is a wall between us and guide their separation our building blocks that have just created just created an absolute barrier between presence of God you and I we need a savior we need salvation god is perfect and sinful and this is the reason why Jesus came is because you and I are imperfect the reason why he came to live a perfect life that you and I could never live. Jesus died the death that you and I should have died. He took our place. He became our substitute. That's an amazing thought that Jesus substituted himself for you and I We deserve to be killed but yet Jesus was killed in our place Jesus death burial Resurrection paid the price for our sins. you know accepting him I think is obviously the first step right? We we accept Christ we turn away from our sins. We turn to Jesus in faith, and we believe in him. You know it but what comes as a result of set of accepting Jesus. Is what you know, what book comes as a result of accepting an you know. Just Joy, you know, it's not just the answer. It's that we get to come into the presence of God, right? Think about that for a second accepting Christ. We believe that he forgave his first since he's washed away our sins at that point. Then we can come into the presence of God doesn't just mean we have eternal life certainly will be forgiven to forgiving of our sins. We do have eternal life.

We also have fullness of joy psalm. 16 says that in the presence of God, there is fullness of joy and I was totally blown away by this quotes. I read this last night. I'm just read this to you. It says, this is by CS Lewis in a book called the weight of Glory. It said it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong. But to week we are half-hearted creatures fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when Joy is offered us like an ignorant child. He wants to go on making mud pies in a slum cuz he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at Sea. We are far too easily pleased and how often if I saw other things in the world to to fill me with joy, when when truly it's only Jesus they can fill us with joy Jesus and living in the presence of God. amen You know, that's a lie close. We're going to sing one more song in just a minute. I just want to throw out two questions for us. I'm Steve's you want to come up we're going to play some music. I'm going to pass out. Some fake candles because they told us.